A combination of Navy, Army, Air force and Civilian students made up the group of 25 people who recently took part in an ISAF Learn-to-Sail Training Programme in Karachi, Pakistan from 15-24 July. The course was coordinated by the Pakistan Youth Sailing Association and led by ISAF appointed expert Tony WALTON (GBR).

WALTON has spent time in Pakistan on two previous occasions, in 2000 running an Olympic Solidarity Technical Course for Coaches and in 1982 coaching the Pakistan Sailing Team to two gold medals in the 1982 Asian Games held in India.

The Pakistan Sailing Federation is making full use of their ISAF membership and the development and training opportunities this can bring by holding this ISAF Learn-to-Sail Training Course as well as a Sailing Management Clinic, conducted by International Race Officer Mark PRYKE (AUS) also in July and a Judging Seminar scheduled for November 2005 with International Judge Pat HEALY (USA). With all of this training taking place for the 2006 Asian Games taking place in Doha, Qatar, the Pakistani Team will certainly be one to watch.

With temperatures of 35 degrees and wind speeds of 15-20 knots, the conditions were perfect for this course designed to provide skills to enable each candidate to instruct sailing at an ISAF Learn-to-Sail level.

The equipment was varied, with participants using a selection of Enterprises, Laser 16's, Lasers and Optimists.

The course itself pushed the concept of training students to be good sailors with good technique and the ability to sail a dinghy well before going on to teaching the principles of racing. The theory being that the better the basic skills of the sailor, the better at racing he or she will be. The training was based around Great Britain's RYA Dinghy Instructors Course. WALTON said of the group's achievements 'I am happy that if any of these candidates now taught sailing they would have a system to work to and be able to work to a training method being able to explain each skill clearly.'

Sailing in Pakistan is developing well within the military forces with a fleet of new Lasers and 470's for Naval use and the addition of four Bavaria 38 Yachts. The Pakistan Youth Sailing Association has a good system for training Optimist sailors for international regattas, although the cost of sailing, in particular the equipment is high, which has meant little further development.

It seems the groundwork is being done to change this story, and with the possibility of successes in future regional and international events, the sport of sailing in Pakistan is set to grow.

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